Add the Forward to a Friend Link

How It Works

When you create your campaign, you'll add the *|FORWARD|* merge tag to your content. This merge tag automatically populates with a link when the campaign is sent.

After a subscriber clicks the Forward to a Friend link in your campaign, they are taken to a form to type in their friend’s details and a message. Then, the friend receives an email that includes a link to view the campaign archive page.

Subscribers can send to only one friend at a time. After they forward the email to one friend, there is a message that allows them to send to another friend.

When a subscriber clicks Send Email on the forward form, it counts as a forward on your campaign report. After a campaign has been forwarded using Forward to a Friend, we'll display Forwarded opens on the report, too.

Why Use It

Including the Forward to a Friend link in your campaigns prevents your subscribers from being unsubscribed by people they forward to. This is because the Forward to a Friend link does not forward the campaign your original subscriber received.

By contrast, if a subscriber forwards a campaign using the forward button in their email client instead of the Forward to a Friend link in your campaign, the new recipient gets the subscriber's campaign rather than a link to the campaign archive page. The subscriber’s version shows the original subscriber's data and links that are specific to them, and the new recipient could accidentally unsubscribe the subscriber from your list.

An additional benefit of the Forward to a Friend tool is that your campaign report will show how often your campaign was forwarded and how often those forwarded emails were opened. If a subscriber uses their email client's forward button to share your campaign, the forward is not counted in the campaign report, and any opens will be tied to the original subscriber. This can result in a single subscriber showing a high number of opens.

Customize Your Forms

The Forward to a Friend tool consists of the form your subscriber fills out and the email the subscriber's friend receives. Below, you'll learn how to customize the Forward to a Friend form and email.

1. Navigate to the Lists page.
2. Choose Signup forms from your list's drop-down menu.
   
3. Select General Forms.
   
4. On the Forms and response emails drop-down menu, choose either Forward to a friend form or Forward to a friend email.
   
5. Click the Design it tab to make changes to the color scheme.

Design changes are saved automatically. MailChimp's translation feature is also available for your forms.

How to Add the Forward to a Friend Link

After your form and email have been customized, there are four ways to include the Forward to a Friend link in your campaign.

• Use the Link Tool
• Edit Source Code for Your Campaign
• Edit Source Code of a Code Your Own Template
• Add Merge Tag in a Plain-Text Campaign

Add Forward Link Using the Link Tool.

1. Navigate to the Design step of the Campaign Builder.
2. Click the text content block you want to edit.
   
3. Add the text you want to link, such as Forward to a Friend, and highlight it.
4. Click the Link icon in the toolbar.
   
5. Type or paste the *|FORWARD|* merge tag into the Web Address (URL) field, and click Insert.
   
6. Click Save & Close.

Add Forward Link in the Source Code

1. Navigate to the Design step of the Campaign Builder.
2. Click the text content block you want to edit.
   
3. Click the Source < > icon to view the source code.
   
4. Add the following code where you want your forward link to appear.

   <a href="*|FORWARD|*">Forward this email to a friend</a>

5. Click the Source < > icon to return to the visual editor to review the design.
6. Click Save & Close.

Add Forward Link in Your Custom Code

If you've custom-coded a template or campaign, you can also add a Forward to a Friend link to your own HTML. Copy and paste the following code wherever you'd like the link to appear.

<a href="*|FORWARD|*">Forward this email to a friend</a>

Add Forward Link in Plain-Text Campaign

When editing a Plain-Text Campaign, type the merge tag in as regular text.

Forward this email to a friend: *|FORWARD|*

We'll populate the link automatically once your campaign sends.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

• How can I preview the Forward to a Friend form and email?
  Before you send your campaign, click the Forward to a Friend link you added to your campaign from Preview Mode or in a test email. You can fill out and submit the Forward to a Friend form, so you can also see the Forward to a Friend email.

• How can I see who forwarded my campaign using Forward to a Friend?
  Configure Chimp Chatter on your Dashboard page to show when and which of your subscribers forwarded your campaign using Forward to a Friend.

• Can I see who was forwarded my campaign?
  You can only see how many times your subscribers forwarded a campaign using Forward to a Friend. You can't see who your campaign was forwarded to, because these people may not be subscribers on your list and showing their email addresses would be a violation of their privacy.